CN114449985A

CN114449985A - Motorized personal transporter

Info

Publication number: CN114449985A
Application number: CN202080060599.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 法维奥·达纳; 马西米利亚诺·基迪基莫; 罗伯托·布德罗纳; 安东尼奥·马图洛
Original assignee: Italdesign Giugiaro SpA
Current assignee: Italdesign Giugiaro SpA
Priority date: 2019-08-01
Filing date: 2020-07-08
Publication date: 2022-05-06
Anticipated expiration: 2040-07-08
Also published as: DE112020003649T5; IT201900013641A1; CN114449985B; US11963915B2; WO2021019330A1; US20220257440A1

Abstract

A personal transporter (10) comprising: a seat (14); a frame (12) having a base (24) and a strut (26) supporting the seat (14), the strut being hinged to the base (24) and pivotable relative to the base between an open configuration and a folded configuration; a pair of drive wheels (16) and at least one non-drive wheel (18) associated with the base (24) configured to define, in use, three misaligned points on the ground; a pair of motors (20); a pair of control pedals (22) associated with the respective electric motors (20) to drive the respective drive wheels (16); and a support bar (32) for supporting the column (26) in the open position, hinged to the column (26) and slidably mounted on the base (24) in a guide (34), wherein the base (24) comprises a rear portion (24a) arranged to support said at least one non-driving wheel (18) and a pair of front portions (24b), each hinged to the column and rotatable integrally with a respective control pedal (22).

Description

Motorized personal transporter

The present invention relates generally to motorized personal transporters, i.e., light vehicles suitable for transporting passengers.

A variety of personal transporters are known and commercially available, being a class of vehicles including electric skateboards, motorized scooters, self-balancing single or two-wheeled vehicles (e.g., Segway), and others, that allow people to travel short distances in an urban environment without the disadvantages of automobiles (e.g., need to stop, reduced accessibility in limited traffic areas, high cost, high environmental impact, etc.).

However, in order for passengers to safely use these known personal transporters, considerable motor skills and advanced balancing skills are required, and even in some cases, an appropriate training period is required. This prevents the elderly or those with reduced motor abilities or generally those without specific motor skills or trained to use them.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a personal transporter which does not suffer from the disadvantages of the prior art discussed above.

These and other objects are fully achieved according to the present invention by a personal transporter as defined in the appended independent claim 1.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims, the contents of which are to be understood as being integral parts of the following description.

In summary, the invention is based on the idea of providing a conveyor comprising:

a seat arranged to accommodate a passenger in a seating position;

a frame, comprising: a base arranged to form a support surface for a passenger's feet; and a post connected to the base and arranged, in use, to support the seat in an elevated position relative to the base;

wherein the post is movable relative to the base between an open configuration in which the seat is in a distal position relative to the base, and a folded configuration in which the seat is in a proximal position relative to the base;

wherein the strut is hinged at a first end to the base so as to be pivotable between an open position and a folded position;

a pair of drive wheels and at least one non-drive wheel associated with the base, the pair of drive wheels and the at least one non-drive wheel configured to define, in use, three misaligned support points on a ground surface;

a pair of electric motors, each electric motor being adapted to supply a driving torque to a corresponding driving wheel;

a pair of control pedals, each associated with a respective electric motor to drive in rotation a respective driving wheel according to a command exerted on it by a passenger sitting on the seat; and

a support bar adapted in use to support the post in an open position, the support bar being hinged to the post near a second end thereof opposite the first end thereof and being slidably mounted on the base;

wherein the base has a guide in which the support rod is slidably mounted;

wherein the base comprises a rear portion arranged to support said at least one non-driven wheel and a pair of front portions, each hinged to the column and pivotable integrally with the respective control pedal.

By the construction of the personal transporter in accordance with the invention described above, passengers can drive the transporter without training and without having to balance on unstable or difficult to maneuver vehicles, and furthermore the frame of the vehicle can be folded to reduce its overall size, for example when loading the transporter into the trunk of a trolley.

Advantageously, the seat is also foldable to further reduce the overall size of the transporter.

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the following detailed description, given by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conveyor according to an embodiment of the present invention in a configuration for use;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the conveyor of FIG. 1 with passengers seated;

FIG. 3a is a side view of the conveyor of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3b is a perspective view of a detail of the conveyor component of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the conveyor of FIG. 1 in a folded configuration;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the transporter of FIG. 4 with a user;

fig. 6, 7, and 8 are perspective views of a seat of the transporter of fig. 1, with the seat shown in a first, second, and third configuration, respectively, according to an embodiment; and

fig. 9 is a perspective view of a conveyor according to another embodiment of the invention.

Referring first to fig. 1 and 2, a personal transporter 10 generally includes a frame 12, a seat 14 arranged to receive a passenger P in a seating position, a pair of drive wheels 16 and at least one non-drive wheel 18, a pair of motors 20, and a pair of control pedals 22.

The frame 12 includes a base 24 arranged to define a support surface for the feet of an occupant P when the occupant is seated on the seat 14, and a post 26.

As shown in fig. 1 to 9, the base 24 comprises a rear portion 24a arranged to support the non-driven wheel 18, and a pair of front portions 24b hinged and pivotable to the uprights 26, each integral with a respective control pedal 22. In this specification, expressions indicating orientation and position, such as "front", "rear", "longitudinal", or "lateral", refer to the direction of travel of the conveyor 10. Advantageously, the rear portion 24a of the base 24 defines a support surface useful, for example, for accommodating heavy loads or a piece of luggage to be transported. Preferably, the support surface is sized according to a standard size of an item of luggage.

The post 26 is connected at a first end 28 thereof to the base 24 and is adapted in use to support the seat 14 in an elevated position relative to the base 24 adjacent a second end 30 thereof opposite the first end 28.

The post 26 is movable relative to the base 24 between an open configuration, shown in fig. 1 and 2, and a folded configuration, shown in fig. 4 and 5. In the open configuration, the stanchion 26 is arranged such that the seat 14 is in a distal position relative to the base 24, i.e. in a position in which the seat 14 is arranged to accommodate the passenger P in the seating position in the use condition of the conveyor 10. On the other hand, in the folded configuration, the stanchion 26 is arranged such that the seat 14 is in a proximal position relative to the base 24 in which the seat 14 is not arranged to accommodate the passenger P in the seating position. In this configuration, the size of the conveyor 10 is significantly reduced compared to the open configuration of the stanchions 26 so that the conveyor 10 may be stored, for example, in the trunk of an automobile. When the stanchions 26 are in the folded configuration, as shown in fig. 5, the conveyor 10 may be pulled by a standing passenger P in a manner similar to that which occurs with conventional draw-bar boxes. Furthermore, the strut 26 is hinged at a first end 28 thereof to the base 24 so as to be able to rotate between the above-mentioned open configuration and the above-mentioned folded configuration.

Preferably, the stanchion 26 has a handle 26' at its second end 30 arranged to allow the transporter 10 to be pulled when the stanchion 26 is in the folded configuration.

The conveyor 10 also includes a support bar 32. As can be seen from the figures, the support bar 32 can be made, for example, as a single element or consist of two parallel fork-shaped profiles. The support bar 32 is configured to support, in use, the post 26 in the open configuration (i.e. when the seat 14 is in a position arranged to accommodate the passenger P in the seating position), and is mounted on one side hinged to the post 26 near the second end 30 of the post 26, and on the other side slidingly mounted on the base 24 within a guide 34 defined in the base 24. Preferably, the guide 34 is formed in the rear portion 24a of the base 24.

Preferably, a suitable damping means 36, such as a spring or gas, is positioned between the guide 34 and the support bar 32, as shown in fig. 3 b. As shown in fig. 3a, when encountering a crack, hole or bump present on the ground on which the conveyor 10 moves, the damping means 36 is configured to dampen any stress due to the weight of the passenger P seated on the seat 14. In the example shown, when the conveyor 10 passes through a crack in the ground, the supporting bar 32 slides within the guides 34 according to the direction indicated by the arrow F1 and simultaneously rotates according to the direction of rotation indicated by the arrow F2 about its point of articulation on the post 26. At the same time, the prop 26 rotates according to the direction of rotation indicated by the arrow F3 about the point at which it is hinged to the base 24. Therefore, the seat 14 supported by the stay 26 is lowered, thereby suppressing the influence of stress and improving the comfort of the occupant P seated on the seat 14.

The wheels of the conveyor 10 are coupled to a base 24, specifically a pair of drive wheels 16 and at least one non-drive wheel 18. The pair of drive wheels 16 and non-drive wheels 18 are arranged to define, in use, three support points of the conveyor 10 on the ground that are not aligned with each other, i.e. three points that are not all located on the same line. In particular, according to a preferred embodiment, the driving wheel 16 is arranged at the front and symmetrically with respect to the sagittal symmetry plane of the conveyor 10, whereas the non-driving wheel 18 is arranged at the rear along this plane. It is clear that the transporter 10 may comprise further wheels, and in particular at least one further non-driven wheel, for creating four support points for a four-wheeled vehicle arranged in a conventional manner.

Each drive wheel 16 is associated with a respective electric motor 20 that provides drive torque. In a preferred embodiment, the electric motor 20 is made as an in-wheel motor, i.e. is contained in a per se known manner in the respective driving wheel 16.

The electric motor 20 is powered by a battery, preferably a single battery 38, for example arranged in one of the front portions 24b, below one of the control pedals 22. Obviously, the number, type and position of the batteries 38 can be modified in a manner known per se.

To control the conveyor 10, and thus each drive wheel 16, the conveyor 10 includes a pair of control pedals 22 as described above. The control pedals 22 are each arranged on a front portion 24b of the base 24. Each control pedal 22, through a connection with a suitable electronic control unit known per se, is configured to drive a respective driving wheel 16. In particular, each control pedal 22 is arranged to control the driving torque delivered by the electric motor 20, and therefore to drive in rotation the corresponding associated driving wheel 16, according to the command given by the passenger P seated on the seat 14. The passenger P may control the control pedal 22 by pressing a foot thereon in a manner known and similar to that which occurs in known self-balancing scooter, wherein the tilting of the control pedal is associated with the rotation of the drive wheel.

Referring now also to fig. 6, 7 and 8, the seat 14 is disposed on the post 26 so as to be able to accommodate the occupant P in the seating position when the post 26 is in the open configuration.

According to a preferred embodiment, the seat 14 is reconfigurable between a configuration of use (in which it is arranged to accommodate a seated passenger P) and a configuration of reduced size (in which the seat 14 is not arranged to accommodate a passenger P). In particular, the seat 14 may comprise a plurality of seat portions 14 '(in the example of fig. 6, 7 and 8, in particular two seat portions 14' arranged equally and symmetrically) which are pivotably mounted on a post 26 of the frame. The seat portions 14' are pivotable between an open position, in which they jointly define a seating surface for the passenger P, and a closed position, in which they have a reduced dimension, for example in the transverse direction.

As described above, fig. 6, 7 and 8 show the seat 14 according to the embodiment just described in the first, second and third configurations, respectively. Specifically, in the first configuration, the seat 14 is shown in a use position, wherein the seat portions 14' are arranged to collectively define a seating surface for the occupant P. In fig. 7, seat portion 14' is shown in motion according to the rotational directions indicated by arrows F4 and F5. Finally, in fig. 8, the seat portion 14' is disposed in a reduced size position, i.e., closed to reduce the lateral size of the seat 14.

Preferably, the seat portions 14' each have an opening 40 arranged to reduce the weight of the conveyor 10 and improve the seating comfort of the passenger P.

Advantageously, as shown in fig. 9, the transporter 10 also includes a handle 42 arranged to provide a support surface for the hand of a passenger P seated in the seat 14. The handle 42 is preferably foldable or retractable (e.g., in a telescoping manner) according to the direction indicated by arrow F6, such that it can be brought into the use configuration only when needed, and can be brought into a minimum size position when necessary. Specifically, in fig. 9, the foldable handle 42 is shown in two different positions, namely a use position and a partially folded position, wherein the handle 42 is in motion until it is fully folded back on itself.

Preferably, at least one control device 44 is provided on the handle 42. Such control devices 44 may include, for example, joysticks, control levers, control sticks, handle mechanisms, electronic input devices, button mechanisms, and the like. The control device 44 may be coupled to the pair of motors 20 for driving each drive wheel 16 in rotation and/or to a respective control member for steering the non-drive wheels 18 and thus facilitating a change of direction of the conveyor 10. The control device 44 allows for control of the speed and direction of the conveyor 10 even in the event of damage to one or both of the control pedals 22.

As can be seen from the foregoing description, the personal transporter in accordance with the present invention allows the drawbacks of the prior art to be overcome. In particular, due to the seat and wheel configuration, the personal transporter can be easily used even by passengers whose mobility is impaired (or in any case has no specific motor capacity or is trained).

Furthermore, due to the possibility of folding the struts and/or the seats, the transporter can be stored in a limited space, for example in a car trunk, so that it can be easily transported. Furthermore, thanks to the arrangement of the two drive wheels, when the stanchions are in the folded configuration, as shown in fig. 4 and 5, it is possible to pull the conveyor without having to lift it (like a draw-bar box), which has obvious advantages for the passengers.

Naturally, without prejudice to the principle of the invention, the embodiments and the construction details may vary widely with respect to what has been described and illustrated purely by way of non-limiting example, without thereby departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the annexed claims.

Claims

1. A personal transporter (10) arranged to transport passengers (P), comprising:

a seat (14) arranged to accommodate the passenger (P) in a seating position;

a frame (12) comprising:

a seat (24) arranged to form a support surface for the feet of said passenger (P), and

a post (26) connected to the base (24) and arranged, in use, to support the seat (14) in a raised position relative to the base (24),

wherein the strut (26) is movable relative to the base (24) between an open configuration in which the seat (14) is in a distal position relative to the base (24), and a folded configuration in which the seat (14) is in a proximal position relative to the base (24),

wherein the strut (26) is hinged at a first end (28) to the base (24) so as to be pivotable between an open position and a folded position;

a pair of drive wheels (16) and at least one non-drive wheel (18) associated with the base (24), the pair of drive wheels (16) and the at least one non-drive wheel (18) being configured to define three misaligned support points on a ground surface in use;

a pair of electric motors (20), each arranged to supply a driving torque to a respective said drive wheel (16);

a pair of control pedals (22), each control pedal (22) being associated with a respective motor (20) to drive in rotation a respective drive wheel (16) according to a command exerted on the control pedal (22) by a passenger seated on the seat (14); and

a support bar (32) arranged, in use, to support the post (26) in the open position, the support bar (32) being hinged to the post (26) at a second end (30) of the post (26) opposite the first end (28) of the post (26), and the support bar being slidably mounted on the base (24);

wherein the base (24) has a guide (34) in which the support bar (32) is slidably mounted,

wherein the base (24) comprises: a rear portion (24a) arranged to support the at least one non-driven wheel (18); and a pair of front portions (24b), each of which is hinged to the strut and is rotatable integrally with the corresponding control pedal (22).

2. The personal transporter of claim 1, further comprising a damping means (36) arranged in the guide (34), the damping means being arranged to dampen sliding movement of the support bar (32) in the guide (34).

3. The personal transporter of claim 1, wherein the guide (34) is disposed on the rear portion (24a) of the base (24).

4. A personal transporter as claimed in claim 1 or 3, wherein the rear portion (24a) of the chassis (24) defines a support surface arranged to accommodate a piece of luggage.

5. A personal transporter as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the seat (14) comprises a plurality of seat portions (14 ') pivotably mounted on the posts (26) of the frame (12), and wherein the plurality of seat portions (14') are pivotable between an open position in which they collectively define a seating surface for the passenger (P), and a closed position in which the seat (14) is in a configuration occupying minimal space.

6. The personal transporter of any preceding claim, wherein at least one front portion (24b) of the chassis (24) is configured to house a rechargeable battery (38) arranged to supply power to the pair of motors (20).

7. A personal transporter as claimed in any preceding claim, and including a handle (42) connected to the frame (12) and arranged to provide a support surface for the hand of the passenger (P).

8. A personal transporter as claimed in claim 7, wherein on the handle (42) there is at least one control device (44) operatively associated with the pair of motors (20) to drive in rotation each of the driving wheels (16) and/or with respective control members for guiding the non-driving wheels (18).

9. The personal transporter of any preceding claim, wherein the strut (26) has a handle (26') at a second end (30) thereof arranged to allow the transporter (10) to be pulled when the strut (26) is in the folded configuration.

10. The personal transporter of any one of claims 5-9, wherein each seat portion (14') of the seats (14) has an opening (40) arranged to reduce the weight of the personal transporter.